1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a closure with a tamper-indicating band. More particularly, this invention relates to a novel closure with a tamper indicating band wherein both the closure and the tamper indicating band include flared end portions that assist in the attachment of the closure to a container fitment.
2. Prior Art
It is often desirable to provide a container closure that includes tamper-indicating features whereby the initial opening of the container is discernable from the condition of the closure. The use of plastic closures with frangible bands having tamper-indicating features are known in the art. Such safety closures incorporate tamper-indicating bands that both are integrally formed to the closure and include a removable, detachable or frangible portion thereof which must be broken or separated from the closure in order to initially open the closure. As stated, such tamper-indicating bands are integrally formed with the closure during the molding process. Such a closure, with a tamper-indicating band, is initially attached to the fitment of a container so that the container is securely closed and the tamper-indicating band engaged to the fitment. Normally, the engagement of the tamper-indicating band and the container fitment is achieved by slidably positioning the band over one or more retention beads projecting from the container fitment. Once the tamper-indicating band is so positioned relative to the retention bead, the band must then be broken or separated from the closure in order to open the container.
Depending upon the design of the tamper-indicating band, some difficulties may arise in the proper placement of the band relative to the container fitment. Namely the frangible portions of a band tend to be so flexible as to allow for the misalignment of the band as its being positioned on the container fitment. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a plastic closure having a tamper-indicating band that is so structured as to facilitate the proper alignment of the band during its positioning on the container fitment.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a plastic closure including an integrally formed tamper-indicating band.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a closure with a tamper-indicating band having features that aid in the alignment of the band relative to a container fitment.
More particularly, the present invention is directed to a plastic closure having a tamper-indicating band with one or more openings defining the frangible portion thereof. Each opening includes at least one outwardly projecting lip that projects from the circumference thereof and at least one similar inwardly projecting lip. The lips of the openings provide increased surface contact at the inner surfaces of the openings, thereby providing greater contact pressure between the upper and lower portions of the tamper-indicating band when the band is being forced into place. More specifically, as the lower portion of the tamper-indicating band is being forced over the retention beads of the container fitment, the plastic band tends to flex at its weakest points. The weakest points tend to be the frangible bridge segments or ribs that connect the lower portion of the band to the upper portion thereof. The openings that define this frangible area tend to collapse or distort in such a way that the upper and lower portions of these openings tend to contact with each other as the lower portion of the band is being forced over the retention beads. The greater contact between the upper and lower portions of the tamper-indicating band provides for a more stable alignment of the lower portion thereof as it is forced over the retention bead, thereby facilitating the attachment of the closure to the container fitment.
It will become apparent that other objects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment set forth hereinafter.